California mother and son visit Sotomayor hearings

by Kitty Felde

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There’s lots to see in Washington, D.C.: the monuments, the White House, and this week, the Senate Judiciary hearings to consider Judge Sonia Sotomayor as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. KPCC’s Washington Correspondent Kitty Felde caught up with a mother and son who added the hearings to their trip agenda.

Kitty Felde: It’s Kris Riegle’s first trip to Washington. The recent Temecula Valley High School graduate is more interested in environmental engineering than law, but he was happy he got into the Judiciary Hearings.

Kris Riegle: This was pretty cool, watching history happen, I guess.

Felde: Riegle’s mom Janis was impressed with what she described as Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s precision and intelligence. She said President Obama courted controversy by saying he wanted a judge with empathy, but it’s an accurate description of the qualities Sotomayor would bring to the bench.

Janis Riegle: She’ll be able to bring the experience of a lot of different people in the United States than what’s already on the Supreme Court. I think that’s important for all of our values to be represented.

Felde: Janice Riegle said she looks forward to seeing Sotomayor wearing the robes of as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.